1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp of a movable reflector type in which a reflector attachedly inserted with a light source is inclinably supported by an aiming mechanism to a lamp body, and the reflector is inclined by rotating an aiming screw supported by the lamp body. In particular, a vehicle lamp of a movable reflector type in which a rear end portion of an aiming screw projects to a rear side of a lamp body has an integrated gear in a shape of a circular disk rotatable by a driver.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a conventional vehicle lamp. An inside portion of a lamp chamber S is partitioned by a vessel-like lamp body 1 and a front face lens (not shown), and a reflector 2 has an attached light source (not shown) inclinably supported by an aiming mechanism. The reflector 2 (optical axis of lamp piece) is inclined by pivoting an aiming screw rotatably supported by a screw inserting hole 1a provided in the lamp body 1.
A rear end portion 4a of the aiming screw 4 projects to a rear side of the lamp body 1 and is integrated with a gear 6 having a circular disk shape. The aiming screw 4 is pivoted by bringing a tooth tip of a screw driver 7 to mesh with the tooth of the gear 6 and turning the driver 7. In addition, the screw at the rear end portion 4a of the aiming screw, includes a cross groove 5 and when the optical axis is intended to incline by a large amount, the tooth tip of the driver 7 is fitted to the cross groove 5 and the aiming screw 4 is rotated by turning the driver 7.
However, according to the above-described conventional technology, it is necessary to form the cross groove 5 for fitting the driver at the rear end portion 4a of the aiming screw. However, fabrication of the cross groove 5 is troublesome and further, the screw rear end portion 4a becomes large-sized for forming the cross groove 5, so that the weight of the aiming screw is increased by that amount, and consequently the weight of the lamp piece is increased.
Further, in order to fit the tooth tip of the driver 7 to the cross groove 5, the driver 7 needs to operate from the rear side of the lamp piece (right behind the screw rear end portion 4a). However, the driver 7 cannot be operated when there is no rear space between a vehicle body and the lamp piece.
The invention has been carried out in view of the problem of the conventional technology and provided is a vehicle lamp capable of operating to rotate an aiming screw by a large amount from a direction other than a rear direction of the lamp piece.
A vehicle lamp is disclosed having a lamp chamber partitioned by a lamp body in a vessel-like shape and a front face lens, a reflector attachedly inserted with a light source and contained in the lamp chamber, and an aiming mechanism interposed between the lamp body and the reflector for supporting the reflector inclinably to the lamp body. The reflector is inclined by rotating an aiming screw supported by a screw inserting hole provided in the lamp body, and an end portion of the aiming screw projects to a rear side of the lamp body and includes an integrated gear in a shape of a circular disk made of a metal to be proximate to the lamp body. A disk face of the gear is provided with a raised wrench engaging portion for engaging with an L-shaped wrench.
When the L-shaped wrench is arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the aiming screw direction and is engaged with the wrench engaging portion and the L-shaped wrench is turned, the wrench engaging portion is turned integrally therewith. That is, the aiming screw can be operated to rotate by turning the L-shaped wrench.
The wrench engaging portion can be formed simply by forming a cut in, for example, a U-like shape at a disk portion of the gear and raising an area in a shape of a tongue piece surrounded by the cut. Thus, a step of making a large-sized rear end portion of the aiming screw and fabricating a cross groove at the portion is avoided.
Further, by cutting and raising a portion of the disk portion, the disk portion is formed with an opening portion in correspondence with the wrench engaging portion. Therefore, the gear is light-weight in comparison to the conventional structure or a structure of fixedly integrating the wrench engaging portion formed separately to the gear.
A further feature may include a wrench engaging portion constituted by three pieces of erected walls in a shape of a tongue piece at equal intervals in a peripheral direction, raised toward a center side of the gear to be brought in mesh with three faces of an inner periphery at equal intervals of a hexagonal engaging hole of the wrench. Three faces of the hexagonal engaging hole of the wrench at equal intervals at the inner periphery are engaged with the erected walls in the shape of a tongue piece, the wrench engaging portion and the hexagonal engaging hole of the wrench are prevented from being turned in the peripheral direction and by turning the wrench, the gear (aiming screw) can firmly be integrally rotated.
By raising an area surrounded by a cut in, for example, a U-like shape of the gear disk portion to the center side of the gear, the erected wall in the shape of the tongue piece can simply be formed. Further, the compact wrench engaging portion can be constituted by three pieces of the erected walls in the shape of the tongue piece and therefore, the constitution of the wrench engaging portion is concise.
There also may be constructed a constitution in which the gear is constituted by a crown gear, a teeth portion of which is inclined to a disk face thereof by a predetermined angle. The lamp body may be provided with a first driver guide for holding a driver in a state of bringing a tooth tip of the driver in mesh with the teeth portion of the crown gear. Further, as shown by the embodiment, the first driver guide is constituted by, for example, a circular hole formed at an extended portion of a metal sheet formed member interposed between a crown gear and a peripheral edge portion of a screw inserting hole.
When inclination of the gear portion of the crown gear relative to the disk face is constituted by an angle near to a right angle, the crown gear can be pivoted by using the aiming screw inserted from a side of the lamp piece. Further, when the inclination is made to fall in a range of 0xc2x0 through 90 degrees, by constituting the inclination of the teeth portion of the crown gear relative to the disk face by a predetermined value such that the crown gear can be pivoted by using the aiming screw inserted from a skewed front direction of a side of the lamp piece, and making a position of providing the driver guide and a mode of holding the driver pertinent, the aiming screw can be pivoted by using the driver arranged from the predetermined direction.
Further, the tooth tip of the driver is maintained in a state of being brought in mesh with the tooth portion of the crown gear by the first driver guide and therefore, the aiming screw is pivoted firmly in cooperation with pivotal movement of the driver.
Further, there may be constructed a constitution in which the lamp body is provided with a second driver guide for leading the tooth tip of the driver in a direction of being brought into mesh with the teeth portion of the crown gear. Further, the second driver guide may be constituted by, for example, a pair of upper and lower plate-like extended portions provided at an inclined face of a corner portion of a side face of a rear face wall of the lamp body. When the tooth tip of the driver is inserted along the second driver guide, the tooth tip of the driver is brought in mesh with the teeth portion of the crown gear and at the same time, the vicinity of the tooth tip of the driver is brought into contact with the first driver guide and a state of bringing the tooth tip of the driver and the teeth portion of the crown gear in mesh with each other is maintained. That is, the second driver guide is operated as a guide for inserting to guide the driver, and the first driver guide is operated as a meshing maintaining guide for maintaining the state of bringing the tooth tip of the driver and the teeth portion of the crown gear in mesh with each other and therefore, operation of pivoting the aiming screw by the driver becomes smooth.